LOGINVENUSRowan stares at me in shock and his brows draw together. “What?”I scoff and look away. “I don’t need your charity or your protection.”Rowan narrows his eyes at me. “Really? I saw how well you were faring when I didn’t step in.”I clench my fist. “I can protect myself,” I bite out, my voice trembling despite my best efforts. “I would’ve found a way.”He lets out a humorless smirk. “I don’t go with probabilities, Venus. You’re stupid if you think you could’ve escaped that.” His tone drips with disdain.He reaches out and grabs my wrist. He lifts it, and shows me the deep red mark formed on my skin. I stare at it in shock. I hadn’t realized how bad it looked. I’d been too focused on not breaking down and suppressing the pain I felt after those guards tried to assault me. “Even if they let you live, do you have any idea what those scoundrels would’ve done to you? They would’ve raped you.” My throat tightens as I swallow back the lump at his unfiltered, harsh words. Tears fill
VENUSI follow his gaze. On the screen, I see the west wall corridor. A guard is patrolling there again and again. My eyes narrow as I stare at it for a few minutes. “Wait,” I gasp. “That’s the same movement.”Rowan’s fingers fly over the console keys and he types something. I watch him work alongside the operator who also looks lost like me. The screen flickers as he pulls up the archived feed. It shows the same thing. “It’s a loop. The timestamp is stuck at 11:30pm.” Rowan says as he looks at the screen. The operator’s eyes widen. “How is that possible?” “We need the real-time footage,” Rowan mutters and looks past his shoulder. “Nile.” His general steps in and the operator backs away, getting intimidated by the large sizes of the two men. Nile sits on the chair and does something on it for quite a long time. “Done!” Nile says, “Someone overlaid the main channel. But the backup server’s still live.” He plays the real-time feed and my stomach twists as I see the hallway on the
VENUSThe main guard fumbles with his keycard, hands shaking so much that it takes him three tries to swipe it. The door finally clicks open. Before stepping in, Rowan looks back at the two guards who had been restraining me.“From tomorrow onwards,” he orders coldly, “you don’t have to come here anymore. You’re fired.”Their faces drain of color. “Please, Your Majesty—” one starts, but Rowan doesn’t even glance at them. He just walks inside, pulling me along.We walk into the room and Rowan keeps glancing at me, making my heart skip a beat. The cold air inside makes me shiver and it smells of oil and some pungent gas. I can hear the buzz from the humming machinery. Rows of generators, transformer panels and tangled cables line the walls. Everything looks normal. He turns to me suddenly. Before I can step back, his hand reaches out, fingers brushing against my cheek. His eyes harden as he stares at my face. His touch is brief but electrifying, tracing the dirt smudges on my skin.
VENUSTwo large figures step through the back gate. The glow of the security lights reveals Nile’s face. My heart falls deeper into my stomach as I realize the other man to be none other than the Alpha King. Rowan strides forward, his presence slicing through the night like a blade. “Stop whatever you’re doing.” His eyes find me instantly, and I see the darkness flood them. The guards immediately lower their heads, trembling under his aura. The power rolling off him is suffocating. It’s pure dominance pressing against the air.“Your Majesty,” the main guard stammers, bowing so low his forehead nearly touches the ground. “It—it’s an honor to see you—”Rowan raises a hand, cutting him off without a word. His gaze never leaves me.“Release her,” he commands. His tone is calm but every syllable drips with a sense of anger that’s restrained. The guards tremble and let go of me once. I rip the gag out of my mouth and throw it on the ground, gasping for air as my chest heaves.Nile is t
VENUSMy jaw tightens. They let her through easily because she’s Bronze’s mate, and their Luna. I press my palms against the damp earth, thinking fast. I need to get inside to see what Mallory is doing or else all of this will be for nothing.The guards start to change shifts. It’s my only chance.I dart deeper into the shadows, and hide behind the trees, keeping low until I notice a loose section of fencing near the eastern side. My pulse quickens. That could work.I pick up a small stone and toss it toward the opposite end of the fence. It clinks against metal. The sound makes two patrolling guards snap their heads toward it and move to investigate.Now is the time! I squeeze through the loose panel, careful not to make a sound. The metal scrapes lightly against my hoodie, but I manage to slip inside. I dash toward a cluster of crates stacked near a generator building, crouching behind them. The smell of oil and iron makes me scrunch my nose. I rub the dirt and mud on my hands an
VENUSHis brows lift, surprise flashing across his face. “What? No, that’s insane.” His tone turns firm, almost defensive. “That’s not what I meant. I just think… maybe you could learn a thing or two from her.”The words sting. It almost feels like he’s comparing me to Mallory. My chest tightens at that thought. “You could try being more friendly,” Bronze adds. He sounds unserious but his tone carries that subtle edge of authority beneath it. “Try to get along with the other trainees. When you become my Luna, it’ll be easier for you to build a connection with the pack.”I look away, pressing my lips together. “I’ve been trying to build a connection with this pack for a long time,” I say, keeping my tone even. “It didn’t help.”Bronze lets out a sigh, the kind that sounds like he’s tired of having this conversation. The sound makes my stomach twist. Why does it always feel like I’m the one who doesn’t understand?I don’t want to argue, so I change the topic. “Maybe Mallory isn’t danger







